Your Rights as a Council Tenant: The Council Tenant s Charter

Your Rights as a Council Tenant: The Council Tenant s Charter March 2001

Further copies of this booklet are available from: Housing Directorate National Assembly for Wales Cathays Park Cardiff CF10 3NQ Tel: 029 2082 6943 Fax: 029 2082 5136 Typeset by Text Processing Services Designed by CartoGraphics G/372/00-01 ISBN: 0 7540 2601 2 March 2001 Crown Copyright 2001

Contents Introduction 3 Your rights and responsibilities - a checklist 4 Your rights as a secure tenant 4 Your responsibilities as a secure tenant 4 How can I get a council home? 5 How can I get a housing association home? 5 What are my rights and responsibilities when I get my council home? 6 Your tenancy agreement 6 Secure in your home 7 Introductory Tenancy Scheme 7 Passing your home on to another person 8 Lodgers and sub-letting 8 Repairs to your home 9 Right to Repair 9 Improvements to your home 10 Compensation for improvements 11 Statutory nuisance 11 Things your council needs to know about you 12 Housing Benefit 12 If you are disabled 12 How can I move? 13 Exchanges 13 Circumstances when an exchange can be refused 13 Transfers 14 Moving from a home that is too big for you 14 Moving to another local authority area 15 1

Can I buy my home? 15 What can I expect from my council? 16 Good service 16 Information 17 Your right to be consulted 17 What should my council expect from me? 17 Can my council evict me? 18 Changing landlord 19 What happens if I have problems with my neighbours? 19 What happens if things go wrong? 20 Contact your housing office 20 Use your council s complaints procedure 21 Write to the Local Government Ombudsman 21 Go to court 21 How can I get involved in improving the quality of service for tenants? 22 Best Value in Housing 22 What will councils have to do under Best Value? 22 How can I be more involved? 22 How to find out more 23 Tenant Participation Compacts 23 What are Tenant Participation Compacts? 23 What should a Compact mean for me? 24 What role can I have in developing and improving housing 24 services in my area? How do I find out more? 25 Who makes sure my council are doing a good job? 26 The District Auditor 26 The Audit Commission 26 Further Information 27 2

Introduction You have important rights as a secure council tenant. You also have important responsibilities. This booklet tells you about them. It also tells you other things you might want to know about council housing. This leaflet is a summary of housing law, and may not cover all circumstances. If you want to know more, your council s housing department will be able to help you. Your council may have produced its own leaflet or newsletter to let you know what is going on in your area. There are also many other leaflets available about council housing. You will find details of these, and a list of addresses of organisations that may be able to help you, at the end of this booklet. 3

Your rights and responsibilities a checklist Your rights as a secure tenant In general: You can live in your home for the rest of your life as long as you do what your tenancy agreement says. You can buy your home at a discount. You can pass on your home to someone in your family living with you when you die. You can take in lodgers and sub-let part of your home. You can get certain urgent repairs done quickly and at no cost to you. You can carry out improvements to your home. You can be paid for certain improvements you have made if you move home. You can help to manage your estate. You can exchange your property for another one. You must be consulted on housing management matters. You must be given information about how your council carries out its responsibilities as a landlord. More details of these rights can be found in this booklet. Your responsibilities as a secure tenant You must keep to the rules in your tenancy agreement. You must pay your rent. You must be a good neighbour and not annoy other tenants. Anti-social behaviour is taken very seriously and may result in the loss of your tenancy. 4

How can I get a council home? Apply to your council. The council will usually put your name on its waiting list. You have a right to know how your council decides to let the homes it owns so you can be sure you are treated fairly. Your council should publish a short version of its rules for deciding who gets council homes. Your council should give you a free copy. This should also cover your council s rules about moving people who already have council homes to other council homes in the area. You have the right to look at the full rules for who gets council homes, free of charge, at the housing office during normal office hours. You also have the right to a copy, but may have to pay for it. There will be someone at the housing office who can tell you about the rules for getting a home. How can I get a housing association home? You may want to apply for a home from a housing association (also known as a registered social landlord) in your area. Housing associations provide similar sorts of homes to those provided by your council. Your council can tell you how to get in touch. Housing associations must also publish the rules for their waiting lists. In some areas the council and the housing associations operate a common housing 5

register so that you can apply for a home from either your council or a housing association. If you become a housing association tenant, you will still have most of the rights set out in this Charter. However, the rights of housing association tenants are explained in a booklet called The Assured Tenants Guarantee. Details of how to obtain a copy are given at the end of this booklet. What are my rights and responsibilities when I get my council home? Your tenancy agreement Once you are a secure or introductory tenant you have rights and responsibilities. The law sets out some of your rights. Others may be agreed by your council and put in your tenancy agreement. It is important to remember that you have responsibilities as well as rights. For example, you must pay your rent, be a good neighbour and respect other tenants right to live in peace and quiet. Your council should publish its tenancy agreement in plain, simple language. This should say what the council has to do and what it expects you to do. It should set out your rights under the law, and the action the council may take against you if you break your tenancy agreement. Your council must keep this information up to date. It must give you your own written tenancy agreement when you agree to take your home, or as soon as possible after you move in. 6

Ask your council about anything in the tenancy agreement you do not understand. If you think you may have difficulty paying the rent, ask your council to tell you how to claim housing benefit. Your home should be in a good condition when you take it over. If it is not, the council may be breaking your tenancy agreement. You should ask the council about the condition of your home before you move in. Secure in your home You are a secure tenant if you are a tenant of a County Council, or County Borough Council, and your house or flat is your only, or principal home, and your house or flat does not have essential living accommodation which is shared (for example a shared living room or kitchen). As a secure tenant you will be able to live in your home for the rest of your life if you want to, as long as you keep to your tenancy agreement. This is known as security of tenure. If your council needs to rebuild your house or flat or part of your estate, it must offer you another suitable home. Introductory Tenancy Scheme Your council may operate what is known as an Introductory Tenancy Scheme. This scheme would apply to all new tenants and last for twelve months, after which the tenancy would become secure. All introductory tenants must abide by the terms of their tenancy agreement, or risk losing their home without the council having to go to court to prove that the agreement has been broken. As an introductory tenant your rights are very similar to those of a secure tenant. Your council can tell you more. 7

Passing your home on to another person When you die your tenancy will pass to your wife or husband, if living with you in your home, or else to a member of your family who has been living with you for at least 12 months. He or she will be your successor provided you yourself did not succeed to the tenancy after 3 October 1980. If you have a joint tenancy with another person, it will pass to him or her when you die. There will be no further automatic succession, though the Council may agree to let another member of your family take over after that. You can get more information about your right to succession from your council. Lodgers and sub-letting You may have some spare space in your home. You have the right to take in lodgers, and you do not need your council s consent. You also have the right to sub-let part of your home but you must get written permission to sub-let from your council first. This is very important. You cannot sub-let the whole of your home or transfer your tenancy to someone else. If you do you will lose your security of tenure. Your council cannot refuse to let you sub-let without good reason and cannot attach conditions if you are given permission. If your council does refuse permission, you must be given the reasons in writing. If you do not know whether any arrangement you are thinking of making would be sub-letting rather than taking in a lodger, you should ask your council, or if necessary get advice from a Citizen s Advice Bureau or a solicitor. 8

If you are refused consent to sub-let and you consider this unreasonable, you have the right to challenge the refusal in court. You should get advice from a solicitor or the Citizen s Advice Bureau who will discuss the facts of your particular case. You can get more information from the leaflet Letting Rooms in Your Home. Repairs to your home Your council is responsible for most repairs to your home, but there are some types of repair which are your responsibility. Your tenancy agreement sets out which repairs you have to do and what the council has to do. This section explains what you can expect from the council when you ask them to deal with a repair. Your council must: keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling; keep in repair and proper working order the water, gas, electricity and sanitation appliances, and the heating and hot water services; ensure that gas appliances and pipework are tested at least once every 12 months and a record of tests is kept and may be provided to a tenant on request. Right to Repair The Right to Repair is a scheme for council tenants. It aims to make sure that certain small urgent repairs which might affect your health, safety or security, are done quickly and easily. Councils are told by law to carry out these repairs within a certain time. The council will tell you what repairs come under the scheme and how long it has to carry them out. Repair times vary depending on the type of repair. For example, if your toilet isn t flushing, the council usually has one working 9

day to come and repair it. It has three working days to mend a loose banister rail and seven working days to mend a broken extractor fan in your bathroom or kitchen. If the council does not do your repair in time, you can tell it to get another contractor instead. If the second contractor doesn t do the repair in time, the council will pay you compensation. Your council can provide you with more information on the right to repair. Improvements to your home You have the right to carry out improvements to your home if you want to, providing you get your council s agreement in writing first. This is very important. Improvements you can do include decorating the outside or fixing a TV aerial. If you wish to fix a television aerial or satellite dish, you may need planning permission from your council for this. You can get more information from the leaflet A Householder s Planning Guide for the Installation of Satellite Television Dishes. If you carry out improvements to your home this will not put up the rent. If you decide to buy your home, the price for it must not be increased because of the improvements you have carried out. The council cannot refuse consent without good reason and must give you their reasons in writing. If your council does not reply within about 6 weeks, you should assume that permission has been refused. If you think the council is being unreasonable, you have the right to challenge them in court. You should get advice from a solicitor or the Citizen s Advice Bureau who will discuss the facts of your particular case. 10

Compensation for improvements If your tenancy is coming to an end, you may be able to get compensation from your council for the improvements you have made. You have the right to compensation for certain improvements, such as a new bathroom, toilet, kitchen, central heating, and energy efficiency and home security improvements. You may also be able to get compensation for other improvements you have made. Ask your council if the improvements are eligible for compensation. You must apply for compensation, in writing, within 14 days of your tenancy ending which is usually when you move. You will need to show your council the bills for the work done. Your council will work out how much compensation to pay you. This will depend on the work you have had done, and how long ago it was carried out. You can get more information from the leaflet Your New Right to Compensation for Improvements. Statutory nuisance Should your house or a nearby property be in such a state that there is risk to your health, then this may constitute a statutory nuisance. If the nuisance is caused by a property not owned by your council, then you should contact the Environmental Health Department of your council who will investigate and take action where necessary. Where the nuisance is caused by the state of your house or that of a property owned by your council then you have the right to take your council to court. Before you can do this you must give the council at least 21 days notice, together with reasonable details of your complaint. Before taking action against your council under the statutory 11

nuisance procedures, you should take advice from a solicitor or from your local housing advice centre, Citizen s Advice Bureau or the Shelterline. Things your council needs to know about you When you become a tenant, your council needs to know your details and keep a record of them. Under the Data Protection Act 1998 you have the right of access to your personal housing file where you can check the details to make sure your council have got it right. If you are not satisfied with a certain piece of information in your file, you should seek advice from the Data Protection Commissioner. The Commissioner has produced a leaflet Using the law to protect your information. You can contact the Commissioner by calling the telephone number at the back of this booklet. A factsheet for tenants called Access to Personal Housing Records - A Factsheet for Council Tenants is also available free of charge. Details of how to obtain a copy are also given at the end of this booklet. Housing Benefit If you claim housing benefit, you have the right to know how your benefit has been worked out. If your claim is refused, you have the right to know why. You can contact your local housing benefit office and ask them to send you a statement showing how your benefit was calculated. If you are disabled All disabled people, including council tenants, can apply to their local housing authority for a disabled facilities grant to help them to carry out necessary adaptations to their homes. The amount of 12

grant is dependent on whether or not you can afford to contribute to the costs of the adaptations. As an alternative, the local authority may be able to fund adaptations for you from its own housing budget, or offer you a more suitable property. You may find this more convenient, and less costly, than applying for a grant. You can get more information from the leaflet Disabled facilities grant. How can I move? There are a number of ways in which you might be able to move home: Exchanges If you want to move to a council or housing association home in another council area, you have the right to exchange. You will need to find someone to exchange with. You and the tenant you exchange with must both have the written permission of your council or housing association. It can only say no for certain reasons; for example, if it thinks the home is too big or too small for the person who wants it. If you are a successor (see Passing your home on to another person) before making an exchange, you will continue to be a successor afterwards. If the council doesn t reply within 6 weeks of you applying for consent to exchange, they may not be able to refuse it, but you should seek legal advice before going any further with an exchange without going back to the council. If you are refused consent and you think the reason given is not one of the grounds listed below, you have the right to challenge the refusal in court. Circumstances when an exchange can be refused If a court order has been made giving possession of your home to the council (see section Can my council evict me?); 13

If a notice of seeking possession, which is still in force, has been served on either you or the person you want to exchange with; If your home is too big or too small for the person who wants it; If your home has been let to you as an employee of the council and it is within the boundaries of an operational building (such as a school) or within a cemetery; If your home is designed or adapted for a physically handicapped person and the person who wants it doesn t need these adaptations; If your home has been specially provided for someone with special needs, or is near some special facility (for example an old peoples club) and the person who wants it doesn t have those needs. Transfers If you want to move to another property owned by your council or a housing association in your area, you may be able to do so. Your council will be able to tell you what the chances are of being able to move to a new home and what its rules are about transfers. Moving from a home that is too big for you Some tenants, particularly older people, live in homes that are too big for them. This can happen when children grow up and leave home. Councils often have schemes to help people to move to smaller homes if they wish, so that the larger ones can be used for families. Your council can assist you with the costs of a move, for example removal expenses, or having your telephone reconnected. Councils have wide discretion about what kind of payments they can make. It will be able to tell you what scheme operates in your area, if you think moving to a smaller property would be best for you. Ask your council what it can do to help you to move to a smaller property. If you want to buy a home of your own somewhere else, 14

your council may pay you something for giving up your council home. The money will go towards a mortgage on the new home you buy. This is called a cash incentive scheme. Ask your council if it runs one. Moving to another local authority area Through its Mobility Scheme, an organisation called HOMES helps to arrange moves for people who need to move for at least one of the following reasons: to take up a job which is too far away to travel to every day; to be closer to relatives or friends to provide or receive support; if there are other pressing reasons for a move such as domestic violence or harassment; This scheme can be used for short and long distance moves. You do not have an automatic right to move however and the housing organisation in the area you are asking for does not have to rehouse you. HOMES also helps to arrange exchanges between secure tenants who want to move by swapping with tenants of other social landlords. You can get more information on HOMES from their leaflet. Their address is available at the back of this booklet. Can I buy my home? Probably. Most people who are secure tenants and have two years public sector tenancy have the right to buy the homes they rent. But there are some exceptions. You may not be able to buy your home if, for example, you live in a particular type of property, such as elderly persons housing, or property let in connection with your employment. 15

If your council agrees that you do have the right to buy your home and you ask to buy it they must sell it to you. You will get a discount on the price depending on how long you have been a secure tenant and whether you buy a house or flat. If you buy your flat, the council continues to own the freehold and to take key decisions, for example on major works (for which you will generally have to pay your share), so it is important that you have information from them and give them your views on how the estate is managed. You can get more information from the leaflet "Your Right to Buy Your Home". What can I expect from my council? Good service You should get good service from your council. The people in the housing department should be polite and helpful to you. They should make sure that everybody is treated equally, regardless of their sex, race, religion or disability. Your council should follow the Code of Practice in Rented Housing (produced by the Commission for Racial Equality), and the Disability Discrimination Act Codes of Practice. Local authorities have a duty to ensure that they do not discriminate either directly or indirectly on the grounds of race in the letting or management of housing they own. Local authorities also have duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination and to promote equality of opportunity and good relations between persons of different racial groups. 16

Information Your council s Best Value performance plan will contain information about how well it has looked after your home, including its performance in collecting the rent, getting repairs done and bringing empty homes back into use. They should give you information on this plan and how well they have done. Your council must also produce a separate Annual Report for tenants. If you want to know more about how your council makes its decisions on housing, you have the right to go to public meetings of the council and the right to see the records (minutes) of its meetings. Your right to be consulted You have the right to be consulted. Your council must consult you about important changes, such as large-scale building work, how your homes are managed or changing the way it collects rent. They should ask for your opinions about all the services they provide to you, and take account of your views when making decisions that will affect you. What should my council expect from me? As a council tenant, you have responsibilities to your council and to other tenants. It is very important that you keep to the rules set out in your tenancy agreement. These rules include paying your rent on time and not acting in a manner that will cause nuisance or annoyance to others, if not you may lose your home. 17

Can my council evict me? They may be able to evict you if you break the rules in your tenancy agreement in a serious way. Usually your council will give you a chance to put matters right before they evict you. Even if you do not, your council will have to go to Court for an Order to evict you. If this happens, you should go to a solicitor, Citizen s Advice Bureau or law centre for legal advice. If behaviour is the reason for seeking eviction, the court must be satisfied that it is reasonable for you to be made to leave your home. If there are management reasons, the court must be satisfied that suitable alternative accommodation will be available to you when you leave your present home. Under some of these management grounds, the court must also be satisfied that it is reasonable to make a possession order. In deciding whether alternative accommodation will be suitable, the court must take into account your needs and those of your family. It may take account of such things as the types of homes being let to other people, where you work, where your children s schools are, and any essential need to be near a close relative. You will be given an opportunity to put forward your views. If your council wants you to move it must give you a Notice of Seeking Possession. This will state the ground or grounds on which possession is being sought and the reasons for doing so. Court proceedings cannot normally begin until at least one month after the notice is given. You will have the opportunity to prepare and present your own case to the court when an application for an order is heard. Legal aid will be available if you qualify for it. 18

Changing Landlord Sometimes councils have to look at whether they should transfer their housing to another landlord. This might be because they do not have enough money to repair and improve the homes to a proper standard. If your council does consider transferring your home, it should first look at all the options, taking account of tenants views. It would then have to appoint a tenants adviser, and work with tenants to explain their proposals and hear their opinions. A ballot would then have to take place, and the homes would not transfer if most tenants voted against it. For more information on stock transfer, you should contact your council for a copy of the Stock Transfer Tenants Charter. What happens if I have problems with my neighbours? Sometimes things will go wrong with your home or your estate. Some of these will be small things to do with the way your home is looked after by your council. Others could be more serious, such as crime, violence, drugs, vandalism, and harassment or racist abuse. Councils will not tolerate antisocial behaviour by tenants and will take action against them. Changes to the housing law now offer better protection for tenants against nuisance neighbours. Councils can tackle anti-social behaviour in a wide variety of ways. An example could be to use either mediation and counselling services to resolve disputes before they get out of control or by using injunctions to prevent unruly behaviour. In the most serious 19

cases this could result in a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment. Councils also have a duty under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to establish partnerships with the police and others in the area to reduce crime and disorder. Ask your council for information on how it deals with nuisance neighbours and antisocial behaviour. Noise is sometimes a problem, particularly loud music and noisy parties. Your council should let you know about its noise complaint services and what counts as unacceptable neighbour noise. You can get more information in the leaflet Bothered by Noise?. Your council should have a policy for dealing with racist harassment on its estates. This may include putting a clause in its tenancy agreements to prohibit harassment. Ask for details. If you feel you have been racially harassed by your neighbours, you can report the incident either to your local housing office, or to the local police if you prefer, and ask them to investigate your concerns. They should take your report seriously and explain what action they are taking to help you. What happens if things go wrong? You may think your council is stopping you from using the rights described in this Charter. You may think it has treated you wrongly or not behaved properly. When things go wrong there should be a quick and simple way of putting things right. There are several ways in which you can take action. Contact your housing office First, go to or phone your housing office and talk to the staff there. If you do not want to talk to officers, you could try talking to your 20

local councillor and asking him or her to contact the council on your behalf. Your housing office will tell you where you can contact your councillor. Use your council s complaints procedure If the people at the housing office do not solve your problem, you should use your council s complaints procedure. Your council should tell you about this when you become a tenant. You should be able to make a formal complaint if you think the council has done something wrong. Write to the Local Government Ombudsman If you think your council has treated you unfairly, you can write to the Local Government Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is independent and can investigate complaints about councils and other public bodies, with the aim of putting things right if they have gone wrong. The Ombudsman can recommend that your council pay you compensation if he or she finds that you have been badly treated and it is the council s fault. They will not take up your complaint unless you can prove that you have given the council a chance to respond to your complaint through its internal complaints procedure. You can get more information from the leaflet "Complaint about the Council? How to Complain to your Local Government Ombudsman". Go to court You may wish to seek independent advice from a solicitor or from your local housing advice centre, Citizen s Advice Bureau or the Shelter Line. However, as a last step you can take your council to court, although this may prove expensive and take a long time. 21

How can I get involved in improving the quality of service for tenants? Best Value in Housing From April 2000, the Government introduced a new duty of Best Value on councils. Under Best Value all councils must review all the services they provide for local people and improve them by the best means available. In trying to do this they must ask tenants and other customers for their views on how they can do better. What will councils have to do under Best Value? Councils have to agree a programme for reviewing all their services, including housing, over a five year cycle and publish a Best Value Performance Plan by 31 March each year. The first plans had to be published by 30 June 2000. How can I be more involved? Your views matter because if your council is to improve housing services it needs: to know what you think; to know about the changes you would like to see and which might influence the type and quality of service being provided; and your views on whether changes are meeting the needs of local people and making things better on the ground. Whilst you do not have to offer views if you do not want to, your council should at least give you the chance to offer your views on housing issues. 22

How to find out more If you would like to know more about Best Value and how you can offer your views about housing services, you should ask at your local housing office or housing department. You can find out the address and phone number in the phone book, or on your tenancy agreement. You can get more information from the leaflet Best Value in Housing: A guide to tenants and residents. Tenant Participation Compacts To make sure you have the chance to have a proper say in how the council manages your home, since April 2000 councils have had to produce Tenant Participation Compacts. What are Tenant Participation Compacts? Compacts are agreements between local councils and tenants setting out: how tenants can get involved in local decisions on housing matters which affect them; what councils and tenants want to achieve locally through compacts, such as better ways of working together, improving local services or a better quality of life; and how the compact will be set up and checked to make sure it is working properly. These agreements should be based on the standards set out in "Tenant Participation Compacts for Local Authorities in Wales" published by the National Assembly. 23

What should a compact mean for me? you get the information you need on all aspects of housing services. Your council should make sure that the information is clear and accessible; you are aware of the opportunities to get involved in local decisions, including tenant management, and understand the benefits and responsibilities; you can have a role in important decisions on housing issues, your views will be taken into account and you can influence final decisions; you understand how your involvement can lead to improved services; your council makes sure that equality policies in relation to housing, including race equality, work properly; and you have the opportunity to get involved whatever your age, race or culture; whether you have a disability; where your first language is neither Welsh nor English, or if you live in a rural area. What role can I have in developing and improving housing services in my area? There are several ways you can do this. For example, you can join a local tenants group or ask your council to help you start one. Tenants groups are one way in which you can make your views known to the council on local housing problems or issues affecting the quality of life in your area. The compact should help with this. If you want to find out more about ways of getting involved in running your estate, including taking over the running of your housing services from the council under the Right to Manage, you should discuss this with your local council. You may also be able to get free 24

independent advice and support from an approved agency. You don t have to get involved at all if that s what you prefer but you should take this decision on the basis of clear information from your council, knowing the range of opportunities that are available to you and why your views matter. How do I find out more? If you would like to know more about what s happening in your area, get in touch with your tenants group or ask your local council housing office or housing department. Then you can decide what level of involvement would suit you. For further advice on developing a tenants association or federation, you can contact the Welsh Tenants Federation or the Tenant Participation Advisory Service Cymru. You can also get more information from the leaflet Tenant Participation Compacts: A guide for tenants. 25

Who makes sure my council are doing a proper job? There are outside checks on councils to make sure they are working properly and openly to deliver a good service. The District Auditor Your District Auditor must: make sure that all your council s financial business has been carried out according to the law and that it has value for money; answer any questions you ask about your council s accounts; make sure your council tries to do things as well as the best councils do them. Details of how you can contact the District Audit Wales Office are on page 28. The Audit Commission The Audit Commission is responsible for inspecting all your council s services within a period of five years. They will make sure that the council is providing best value and recommend how they should do better. Bilingual summaries of Best Value inspection reports will be made available to local people, with full inspection reports available from the local authority or on the Internet. Details of how you can contact the Audit Commission in Wales are on page 28. 26

Further information Here are some free leaflets and addresses you may find useful: Best Value in Housing Best Value in housing A guide to tenants and residents : a bilingual booklet available from: Housing Directorate, National Assembly for Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ (Tel: 029 2082 6949; Fax 029 2082 5136). Citizen s Advice Bureaux and advice centres The names, addresses and telephone numbers of advice centres are listed in a book called The FIAC Directory of Independent Advice Centres. You can get this at your nearest public library. The address and telephone number of your local Citizen s Advice Bureau should also be in your telephone directory. Compensation for improvements Your New Right to Compensation for Improvements : leaflets available in English and Welsh from: Housing Directorate, National Assembly for Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ (Tel: 029 2082 6942; Fax 029 2082 5136). Complaints Complaint about the Council? How to Complain to your Local Government Ombudsman : a bilingual booklet available from your local council or from: The Secretary, Local Ombudsman in Wales, Derwen House, Court Road, Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan CF31 1BN (Tel: 01656 661325). Council addresses Your council s address is in the phone book, and in your tenants handbook. All council addresses and phone numbers are in the Municipal Year Book, which is in your nearest public library. Data Protection Using the law to protect your information : a leaflet produced by the Data Protection Registrar and is available from your local main Post Office. An information line is available on Tel: 01625 545 745. 27

Access to Personal Housing Records A Factsheet for Council Tenants : is a free leaflet produced by DETR and is available from Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions on Tel: 020 7944 3672 or visit www.housing.detr.gov.uk/information/repeal/index.htm. Disabled Facilities Grant Disabled facilities grant : available from DETR Free Literature, PO Box 236, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS23 7NB (Tel: 0870 1226 236; Fax: 0870 1226 237; Textphone: 0870 120 7405; E-mail: detr@twoten.press.net). District Audit - Local authorities are required to seek best value for money in providing services. Responsibility for ensuring that authorities make efficient and economic use of their resources lies with the Audit Commission s District Audit Service. You can get the address of your District Auditor from your housing office, from the Municipal Year Book in the local library or from: District Audit, Wales, 2-4 Park Grove, CARDIFF CF1 3PA, Tel: 029-2037 1022 The Audit Commission in Wales can be contacted at Audit Commission in Wales, 5th Floor, Deri House, 2-4 Park Grove Cardiff CF10 3ZZ. Tel: 029 2026 2632 HOMES Bilingual leaflets about what HOMES does are available from The Regional Officer - Wales & South West Team, HOMES, West India House, 2-4 Welsh Back, Bristol BS1 4SS (Tel: 0117 907 0701; Fax 0117 907 0704 or visit www.homes.org.uk). Housing associations The Guarantee for Assured Periodic Tenants of Registered Social Landlords with 100 dwellings or more : a bilingual booklet available from Housing Directorate, National Assembly for Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ (Tel: 029 2082 6942). 28

Lodgers and sub-letting Letting Rooms in Your Home : available from DETR Free Literature, PO Box 236, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS23 7NB (Tel: 0870 1226 236; Fax: 0870 1226 237; Textphone: 0870 120 7405; E-mail: detr@twoten.press.net). Managing your estate Your New Right to Manage : Leaflets in English and Welsh are available from: The Housing Directorate, National Assembly for Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ (Tel: 029 2082 6942; Fax 029 2082 5136). Guidance on Tenant Participation Compacts for local authorities in Wales : available in English or Welsh from: Housing Directorate, National Assembly for Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ (Tel: 029 2082 6949; Fax 029 2082 5136). Tenant Participation Compacts for local authorities in Wales: A guide for tenants a bilingual leaflet available from: Housing Directorate, National Assembly for Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ (Tel: 029 2082 6949; Fax 029 2082 5136). Stock Transfer: you should contact your council for a copy of the Stock Transfer Tenants Charter. Noise Bothered by Noise? : a bilingual booklet available from: Environment Division 3, National Assembly for Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ (Tel: 029 2082 5546; Fax 029 2082 3658). Repairs Your Right to Repair : available in English and Welsh from The Housing Directorate, National Assembly for Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ (Tel: 029 2082 6942; Fax 029 2082 5136). Right to Buy Your Right to Buy Your Home : available in English and Welsh from: Housing Directorate, National Assembly for Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ (Tel: 029 2082 3872; Fax 029 2082 5136). 29

Satellite dishes A Householder s Planning Guide for the Installation of Satellite Television Dishes : available in English and Welsh from: Planning Division, National Assembly for Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ Shelter Line An information line covering a range of housing issues is available 24 hours (Tel: 0808 8004444). Racial equality The Commission for Racial Equality in Wales, 14th Floor, Capital Tower, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff CF10 3AG (Tel: 029 2038 8977; Fax: 029 2039 9680). Disability Discrimination: The Disability Rights Commission, 6 Ty Nant Court, Ty Nant Road, Morganstown Cardiff CF15 8LW. Helpline: 08457 622633 Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) Cymru: Can be contacted at Transport House, 1 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9SD (Tel: 029 2023 7303; Fax: 029 2034 5597; E-mail: enquiries@tpascymru.org.uk or visit the website at www.tpascymru.org.uk). The Welsh Tenants Federation can be contacted at Transport House, 1 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9SD (Tel or Fax: 029 2064 5168; E-mail: welshtenantsfed@cardiffw.freeserve.co.uk). National Assembly for Wales website: www.wales.gov.uk If you have any comments on Your Rights as a Council Tenant The Council Tenant s Charter: or want to know more about anything in it, contact: Housing Directorate National Assembly for Wales Cathays Park Cardiff CF10 3NQ Tel: 029 2082 6943 Fax 029 2082 5136 30